In “Steps to Make Any Move a Meditation,” I explained how to meditate while you move. Here, let’s look at the next step in the process.
Four: Place Your Awareness on the Object of Meditation
Once you have chosen your object of meditation, the fourth step of making any movement a meditation is placing your attention on that object and allowing your awareness to sink in.
Think of your attention like the lens of a camera. Once your concentration grows, you’ll be able to zone in on one spot and go deep—piercing that object of meditation intensely with a very close view—or you can widen your awareness. You can open it slightly wider, all the way, or anything in between.
For now, until you develop that concentration, choose one object and stay with it through the interval of practice. Once you build that focus, try other methods. Concentration has many benefits, including adding more pleasure to the movement you already enjoy.
I frequently have sensations in my left foot. They call to me. I notice pulses and shifts, warmth and coolness. They are neutral but present, making it easy to direct my attention toward them. As you become familiar with this practice, you may find something similar in your body calling to you. Use that.
YOUR TURN: DIRECT YOUR ATTENTION
Point your mind to your left foot.
Don’t look at it with your eyes: “Feel it” with your mind.
An image of your foot or shoe might arise. Let that drop.
Instead, feel what your foot feels like. Is it warm or cold? Does it tingle? Is it still? Moving? Are these sensations pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral?
If you have trouble, wiggle your toes just enough to get in touch with the sensations. Otherwise, don’t move your foot. Simply be with it exactly as it is.
For those moments when you are feeling your left foot, those left foot sensations are your object of meditation.
I have included more than twenty exercises in the book Make Every Move a Meditation.
This excerpt is from Make Every Move a Meditation by Nita Sweeney which is available now through Amazon and Mango Media.
